West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-11-18
THE CHICAGO ANARCHISTS.
Story of Their Crime and Execution.

For several years an orSanizaIion
has existed in some of the larger
cities, composed of dreamers and
their deluded followers who imag-
ined they can better society by abol-
ishing the laws Of property. In the
Spring of 1885 there was strike IN
Chicago for the eight hour system
and 10000 workmen were idle. The
Anarchy organs urged these men to
violence, and were unusually denun-
ciatory of capital that oppressed Ia
Dor. On May Sd some of the strik-
ers endeavored to prevent the ten
hour men from going to work at
McCormick's factory. A riot en-
sued and the police killed six of the
strikers. That night the city was
plaearded with the following hand
bill:
REVENGE.
Workmen to arms. Your masters
sent out the police blood-hounds. They
killed six of your brothers at McCor-
mick's; they killed the poor wretches
because they had the courage to disobey
their bosses; they killed them because
they dared ask for the shortening of the
hours of toll; they killed them to teach
YOU that YOU must be contented with
Whatever your bosses condescend to al
low YOU, or you will be killed. You
have for years suffered iniquities and
endured hunger. TO satisfy the greed
and to fill the Golfers of your lazy mas
ters. To arms!
ATTENTION WORKMEN!
Great Mass-meeting tonight at 7:30 at
the Haymarket, Randolph street. Good
speakers will denounce the atrocious
acts of the police on yesterday.
AT eight o'clock on the night of
Nav 4th more than a thousand ex-
cited men crowded about a rude
stand erected for the speakers.
August Spies had become conspic-
uous for the violence of his language
and mounting barrel he introduc-
ed Alfred II. Parsons, editor of the
most incendiary of the Anarchy pa
pers. Parsons told the crowd that
instead of getting 10 hours pay for
eight hours work, they were getting
only two hours pay for 10 hours
work and predicted that the time
would come when the oppression of
capital would drive every working
man into socialism. Sam'l Fielden
made u still more violent speech and
urged the crowd to burn the city
and kill the police. About 10
| o'clock $50 policemen marched in
solid body to the place. As they
approached the barrels, on which
the speakers were standing, dyna-
mite bomb, thrown from an adjoin-
ing house, exploded in their midst.
Seven of the police were killed and
some so wounded. They soon raj
lied and fired into the crowd; 100
of the strikers were killed or wound
ed.
TIE next day August Spies, Mi
chael Schwab, Samuel Fielden, Geo.
Engel, Ado!ph Fischer, Louis Lingg,
Oscar Neebe and Randolph Schuan-
belt were arrested The latter was
released. Parsons evaded the pO-
lice but came into Court and sur
rendered himself. A trial followed.
A policeman testified to conspira-
CIV to burn and sack the city. On
August Goth Spies, Parsons, Field
en-, Schwab, Lingg, Engle and Neebe
were found guilty of murder.
Neebe was sentenced to the peniten-
tiary for IA years, the others to be
hung. The case was appealed to
the Illinois Supreme Court and the
Judgment confirmed. An attempt
was then made to obtain writ Of
error from the Z. s. Supreme Court,
which refused to interfere. Nov. ii
had been fixed for the prisoners to
be hanged During the various
trials the greatest excitement pre-
vailed in Chicago and considera-
BILE number of the workingmen of
the country, especially the foreign
element, expressed sympathy for
the condemned criminals.
The case of Spies gained increased
interest from the fact that he was
the most prominent leader and from
the fact that his notoriety interested
Young woman of wealth in Chicago,
"a Miss Nina Van Zandt, who final
ly proposed to marry him, and Spies
being in Jail under sentence Ofdeath,
she married him "by proxy" about
year ago Since then the newspa-
pers have made her very conspicu-
Gus.
When the U. S. Supreme Court
refused to interfere two of the pris-
oners applied to Gov. Oglesby for
pardon, or at least to commute their
sentences to Imprisonment for life.
Spies, Parsons, Fischer, Engel and
Lingg refused to petition for com
mutation; saying they wanted lib
ertv or death. While the Governor
was considering these petitions, on
the 9th. five days before the day set
for his execution) Spies wrote the
Governor as follows:
SIR-Some of us asked for pardon or at
least for Communication of sentence. An
application for commutatlou cannot De
reconciled with nv consciousness of in
nocence. My friends considered that
the Press, by systematic lying, has so
excited the populace that no one man,
however courageous, can stand against